Last night, cast members and fans alike had a chance to bid farewell to lovable jock Finn and the beloved actor who played him, Cory Monteith. The much-anticipated episode aired with the hashtag #RememberingCory to unite fans on social media, but the moving episode was also a way to bring the cast together in remembrance.

It began with a rendition of Rent‘s classic tune “Seasons of Love.” All the major players were on stage minus the girl we wanted to see most: Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn’s on-screen and Monteith’s off-screen girlfriend. (As it turned out, the actress doesn’t show up on screen until 45 minutes into the episode.)

Beginning the episode post-funeral, the writers never share the reason for Finn’s death. As Kurt (Chris Colfer) said, “Who cares?” And he was right; that wasn’t the point of the episode; the point was to cope with the pain and remember Finn. To that extent, we witnessed a little of how each character is grieving — from Kurt holding tight to Finn’s varsity jacket to Puck denying the pain to Santana (Naya Rivera) struggling with the fact that Finn was always a nicer person than she ever could be. And the waterworks started early on, thanks to Finn’s mom breaking down in front or Kurt and Burt (Mike O’Malley). “You have to keep being a parent, even though you don’t have a child,” she says. Excuse us while we get a tissue.

Even Sue — Sue! — moved us. She put up a good front for the first half of the episode, encouraging everyone to move on and get over the loss, but after Santana’s proclaimed she was a “cold-hearted bitch,” Sue finally shed her rock-hard exterior and actually showed us her emotions. (A Sue Sylvester first?)

Once Rachel showed up on screen — wearing her “Finn” nameplate necklace no less — we basically lost it. “I talk to him a lot, I can see his face and hear his voice so clearly,” Rachel said. “He was my person.” We’re sure there was very little “acting” by anyone on this episode, but knowing that Lea lost her real-life boyfriend, our heartstrings pulled just a little harder.

And of course there was the music. Some of the best renditions included Mercedes’ “I’ll Stand by You,” Santana’s “If I Die Young” and Rachel’s version of the Bob Dylan classic “Make You Feel Me Love.”

The episode closed with one of the most touching moments — we won’t spoil it for you — but it involves Mr. Schue, the memory of Finn and an important memento from his legacy. There was also a memento from Monteith’s life: information about the Chrysalis, an organization that helps homeless and low-income individuals become self-sufficient by providing the resources and support needed to find and retain employment.

Did you watch the episode? Did you think it was a fitting tribute to Finn/Corey? What was your favorite song of the episode?